Kimi ni Todoke
by Akane Naomi
Summary: Kimi ni Todoke - From Me to You. Sakashita. One name said it all. Namine Sakashita tends to be misunderstood; and having five older brothers -  popularly known at her school - trying to help her with her love life certainly doesn't help at all.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: My first story for 2011! :] Hello fellow new/regular readers! :] Most of you who have read my works before are probably wondering why I wrote a new story, instead of updating my current ones. I'm getting to that as well...it just so happens that this was on my mind and had to be written first, otherwise my brain wasn't going to work properly if I started working on the other stories. Be expecting "Someday" chapter 5 soon! :D**___

* * *

Kimi ni Todoke

_(From Me to You)_

* * *

**_Hollow Bastion Institution: Fall season _**

It was happening again…

"I love you! Please go out with me!"

_Sigh._

"I'm sorry. I'm not interested in being in a relationship right now."

The blond girl shook her head at the sound of those words. _"Same as always." _They sounded just as if those lines came straight from a T.V. drama. She walked over to the incinerator and quietly dumped the trash from her classroom, _"Some just never learn…"_

Namine Sakashita, the name said it all. A young first year rated as one of the most attractive girls even before she took a step on campus. She was the ideal 4.0 student, an inspiring artist through her artwork sketches and literature, to being one of the ace players on the volleyball team. If she wasn't found walking around by herself, she was the girl who preferred being surrounded by boys over girls, no doubt because of the amount of letters that filled her locker each day. Her life was the spotlight of everything. Picture perfect.

_Sigh._

Scratch that. It's all been a misunderstanding. See, I'm not a girl hater, it just so happens that I've lived in a family of brothers. So, if you happen to notice, most of my friends happen to be guys, because of my brothers. That and plus, I'd rather not deal with jealous girls who are waiting to make my life miserable.

Namine stared at her locker the morning before classes started. Her hand reached out to open the door, but hesitated. She shook her head. Either way, she had to open it in order to get her school shoes. _"Calm down, Namine, inhale, exhale," _she told herself as she grabbed the handle of her locker and out spewed a waterfall of love letters.

_Sigh. _She closed her eyes. Actually, people tend to think I'm so popular to receive a locker full of letters and gifts from boys. She glanced at the first envelope that fell onto her shoes, _"But when you really look at it, they're all from girls and they weren't for me, they're all to my famous five brothers of this academy."_

"What's this, my little sister got some admirers?"

She twitched at the sound of admirers, smacking her twin brother's face with the letter she was holding. "You wish. They're not even for me, they're for some brothers I know who've already had their lockers so full of gifts and letters from their own admirers that they've decided to stuff their presents in mine!"

"Whoa, really?" Her twin brother was genuinely surprised as he reached over to grab a couple of letters that were spread out on the floor, "Are there any from, Kairi?"

"Sora…" Namine restrained from smacking him across the head. "First of all, Kairi would've written you a letter using our home address, not the school's." Meet Sora Sakashita, her twin brother, a freshman at Hollow Bastion Institute; the most dense boy of all her brothers.

"Aren't you two pretty energetic this morning."

"Riku!" She glanced up in surprise. Finally, someone with brains in the family besides herself. A small smile appeared on her face. Riku Sakashita, a sophomore at their school, but he wasn't 'just' a sophomore, he's gained the title of "Prince" in his class. Huh…can't aruge with that.

He smiled, patting Namine softly on the head, "Now Sora, you can't be abusing your privileges in using Namine's locker as your second mailbox, I have letters I need to pick up too."

The blond girl wanted to smack herself, "I don't believe this, you too, Riku?" Just when she thought he was siding with her.

"Good morning, Namine!" An older girl waved at her, "Is Leon with you? I've been looking for him, I could use some help for the Garden club."

"Sorry Rinoa," The blond girl shrugged apologetically, "Even I wouldn't know where he'd be at this time." Rinoa smiled with a soft nod, bidding goodbye as she continued to ask the other students if they'd seen him. Leon Sakashita, a senior who prefers solitude over talking. _"Though, I should know him better, since he's my brother too…"_

"Hey what's up? We having a family reunion over here?" Great. Now it was another Sakashita brother who decided to join in on the fun. Tidus Sakashita in his junior year, famous for blitzball.

"Nothing, Tidus, go away." Namine tried to shoo him off. It was the third week of school and she didn't want this whole Sakashita gathering in the mornings to become a ritual.

"What're you hiding?" Tidus peered over her shoulder as Riku and Sora busied themselves in reading several love letters that were written to them, "Hey, don't tell me you're hiding my letters too! Aw, Namine, my own sweet sister is jealous of my fan girls?"

"Shut up, that's not it at all!"

"Don't hide it," he winked, "don't worry, I'll give you all my attention once we're at home when it's just the two of u-" he was suddenly smacked upside the head. Namine blinked before realizing what just happened.

"I won't accept inappropriate behavior." Cloud muttered sternly, still holding the folder he used to smack Tidus.

"Ouch, Cloud! Wh-"

Insert another smack here. "When we're at school, you call me sensei," the older blond added. He glanced over at Namine and handed her a wrapped up bento, "you left this at home."

"Ah," She held her hands out where he placed it softly in her hands, "T-Thanks Cloud, er! I mean, sensei."

Instead of a stern expression he once held for Tidus moments ago, he gave her a small nod, patting her head gently before walking off to the faculty lounge. She wanted to frown, because of how everyone seemed to be treating her like a little pet, but it's become a daily habit, that she decided it was no use bringing it up. "See you after school."

Namine smiled. Cloud Sakashita, the eldest brother of the family who is currently her homeroom teacher at the school and because he's one of the youngest faculty members there…she glanced at her locker, _"I tend to get letters from his fan girls and…single faculty ladies, maybe a few married ones..." _The thought of it, made her cringe.

"That's discrimination," Tidus winced from what Cloud had given him, "he treats you nicely, but smacks me when I call him Cloud. What a pain."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Serves you right for picking on me." With a swing of her schoolbag over her shoulder, she quickly walked away from the group; fan girls were bound to notice them at any time, so it was better if she left as soon as possible to avoid a-

"LOOK! THEY'RE HERE!" Screamed a group of girls as they rushed over to them.

- rampage. Talk about good timing. Namine took one glance back at her older brothers who were busy trying to talk their way out and escape, but no prevail. She giggled as she kept walking to her first class, _"Glad I don't have that problem…"_

And there you have it, my five famous brothers of Hollow Bastion Institute, plus the extra baggage - me. A saddened expression fell upon her face as she stared at the ground, murmuring, "It would be nice to have one friend who didn't try to get to know me, because of my brothers. That would make school life at least worth going to."

But even though she thought no one cared about what she had just said, she never would've thought that a boy was paying close attention to her words as she walked past him in the hallway.

* * *

"Time to take out the classroom trash today," Namine hummed to herself outside the school building, her feet tapping the cement gracefully with every step. No one would ever be excited to do a classroom duty, but to Namine, this was her break from girls trying to talk to her about her older brothers.

"I've liked you for a really long time!"

"Eh?" She turned her head to the left where she had nearly forgotten the one part of her day that had become a daily habit. _"This again?" _

It was another girl from her class. She handed him a gift wrapped present, a faint blush growing upon her cheeks as she confessed, "Roxas, please go out with me!"

Namine blinked at the scene unfolding beside her. Every single school day, she would walk outside to throw the classroom trash away in the incinerator, and every school day, she would hear those similar lines from various girls who confessed their love to this blond boy. She exhaled slowly, expecting to hear the "I'm not interested in being in a relationship right now," line. These girls just didn't seem to get the message that he didn't want a girlfriend and continue to get their hearts broken. _"It's like Cinderella, once the shoe fits, Prince Charming is taken."_

Roxas shook his head, "I'm sorry," as Namine expected, "but I'm already going out with someone."

"R-Really?" The girl was just as stunned as Namine to hear something different this time. "Who are you going out with?"

"_Ah, I didn't know that…" _Namine was a bit relieved that he finally found someone, which meant that she wouldn't have to hear any more love confessions when she took out the trash from now on. Hm, guess she did take after Leon, preferring that sense of solitude and all.

"Her." The blond boy glanced over and pointed at Namine who was currently holding her class trash can in her grasp with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

The girl bowed her head, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" and ran off, ready to burst in tears.

Namine was just as speechless. She gave the blond boy a stern glare. "Just what did you think you were doing? Lying to a girl like that to turn her down?" What right did this guy think he had to claim he was going out with her? Or…with any girl who gave no consent to things like this…

The blond boy gave her a cheerful grin as she ignored him. That expression looked similar to someone she was well immune to at home. Oh right, her twin brother, Sora.

"Then wanna make it come true and start going out with me?" In an instant, she gasped when she realized that the boy in front of her swiped the trash can from her hands, "Let me throw that away for you."

"Wha? Wait-" She followed after him. Wait no…specifically for the trash can he took from her. It was her duty and all to take the trash out and come back with the bin…for the sake of the students. Yes, that was the reason.

"I'll notify your brothers after blitzball practice-"

"That wasn't what I meant…" She interrupted him, yanking the bin out of his hands, "I need to bring this back."

"Ah, I understand, classroom duties." He hummed, humbly walking beside her as they headed towards the building. Why is he following her? She frowned at his casualness. "I get it," he continued, "it's important to you. You wanted to purposefully get my attention that way."

Namine was lucky the trash had been emptied, because the bin she was holding, fell on the cement ground with a quiet thud. "Excuse me?" She didn't know if she heard right.

He grinned, "You were too shy to come talk to me, so by taking this particular classroom duty, you'd get to see me every day, hoping I'd still dump the other girls who-"

"You're an idiot." She picked up the bin and walked away. Thanks to this guy, now there really was nothing to look forward to at school. This guy had to ruin the one, peaceful moment of her school life. Why…

He touched her shoulder, "Hey, hey, I was kidding."

"Don't touch me!" She glared, making him jump back stunned at her reaction.

"I-I…" He was surprised how a quiet looking girl would secretly have a temper attitude beneath that expression. "I'm sorry."

She blinked. She hadn't expected a sincere sorry from him, unless if it was just an easy act to pull up. She wasn't going to fall for that now. "You're forgiven." With that, she turned away, minding to her own thoughts.

Unfortunately, this led him to follow after her again as he added, "I really wasn't interested in any of the girls who've asked me out."

"And somehow you thought I cared, because?" She looked away irritably, "If you wanted to say you were going out with someone, why didn't you just pick one of the girls who asked you out?"

"Because they're girls I don't know. Imagine going out with a stranger."

He's one to talk. "Then just say no!"

"I did. Countless times," He sighed tiredly, "but that line isn't working anymore, so I had to say I was going out with someone so they'd stop bothering me."

She stared at him in disbelief. This guy…it would be best to avoid him from now on.

"You still haven't answered my question earlier."

"I have plenty of questions to ask you myself, but I decided not to bother." she huffed, steadily walking faster from him.

"Oh, come on, why wouldn't you want to get to know me?" He held an interesting gaze on his face, as he continued to walk after her.

"Could use less girl drama…" she muttered, "I'm not interested in being in a relationship."

"Wait," he grabbed her arm, hoping she wouldn't throw another fit about touching her, "you said you could use less girl drama."

"I said, I'm not interested in being in a relationship."

A smirk grew on his face, "Yes, but that was after you said, you could use less girl drama." Roxas could see her face fume at the sound of those words, "So, you're saying you 'would' accept if you didn't have to deal with jealous girls?"

"Don't be so full of yourself." She pulled out of his grasp, "You don't even know me, let alone my name, so what makes you think 'I' would go out with a stranger?" Ha, she was using his own words against him.

"Good point," he agreed, "So if we have a formal introduction-"

"You can figure my name out by yourself," she shook her head. Not like he was going to have a hard time finding out. One word, Sakashita and poof, that's how everyone remembered her.

* * *

**_Home Sweet Home_**

At least there was something she rarely ever got to enjoy after school; that was getting to walk home. Alone. As in by herself. No brothers to act like her bodyguard. She closed her eyes in distress as she walked towards the front door of the house. Of all families, why did she have to be-

The door swung open before she could reach for the doorknob. Sora grinned at her, "Welcome home, Namine!"

-the only daughter in a family of boys. Not just regular boys, but the good looking, charming, and a well-liked group of boys famously known amongst the student body that had to make her feel like the odd one out.

"I'm home," she pasted a smile for her older brothers as she walked in to take her shoes off.

"What do you want for dinner, Namine?"

She glanced up, "Surprise me, Cloud, it's up to you." The older blond shrugged in response, returning to the kitchen as she placed her shoes aside.

"Namine, the bath's ready if you want to go next."

"Thanks, Riku," She gasped when she noticed that he walked downstairs, hair dripping wet as he stood there with a towel around his neck, shirtless, wearing regular dark jeans as his attire. She almost wanted to throw her schoolbag at him, "Go put a shirt on!" She fumed. Oh how the fan girls at school would kill to see her brother like this.

"Namine's blushing," she could hear her twin brother tease her, "I wonder why?"

"Shut up, Sora," she glared at him. Stupid boy. To think twins were always in in sync and understood each other. She stared at him; Sora definitely had to be a mismatched twin from another family. "Forget it, I'm going to my room."

"Alright, well, don't stay there for too long, we have a guest in the house."

She froze. They usually never invited other people to their house. Maybe on rare occasions, but nothing special seemed to be going on. She tilted her head in confusion, trying to think of who it might be.

"I don't know if you know him since we just started school here," Sora added, as if he for once knew what she was thinking about, "hey Roxas! There's someone I want you to meet."

"Roxas?" She repeated, her heart beating nervously as she watched Sora motion over his new friend from the kitchen to where they were standing. That name sounded familiar…no…she shook her head, it had to be a different Roxas.

"You're name's Namine?" She glanced up to see that her instincts were correct. Unfortunately, it was THIS Roxas she met earlier today. Namine gazed at his cheerful expression; he was pulling off that look again. He really knew how to get on her nerves.

"Uh…" Sora gave his sister a weird stare since she hadn't responded back, "Well, I guess she's nervous around people she's never met before. Namine this is Roxas Kozuka, Roxas, my twin sister, Namine." He patted both their shoulders, "Have fun getting to know each other." Sora grinned.

"So I found out what your name was." Roxas had an all knowing smile on his face after the brown haired boy walked off to call the others down for dinner.

She looked away, "That's cheating."

"Not if I happened to be on the same school blitzball team with two brothers, Tidus and Sora. In fact," He chuckled, "I found out from the other guys on the team that you're related to them. No wonder those two were the only guys who didn't talk about you during practice."

Namine crossed her arms, disinterested. That wasn't new for her, people always found out once they heard the Sakashita brothers had a sister. "So you discovered my name, if you think that's enough to get to know me, you're wrong."

"Oh?" She couldn't tell if his smile was a way of mockery or him being genuinely interested, "Why's that?"

"Maybe if my brothers all like you, then I'll know you're not-"

"Hey Roxas!" Tidus gave him a what's up nod and a high five, "You in any hurry? It'd be cool if you meet my other brothers. No offense, Namine. Stay for dinner!"

"You sure? I don't want to be of any trouble…"

"Nah, we've always got room for a guest of honor," Tidus grinned, "I bet Namine's glad to have someone else join us for dinner besides us for once." The older boy tousled with the girl's hair and winked, "Right, Nami?" She swatted his hand away as he laughed in seeing her reaction.

"So I've got Tidus and Sora down, just three more brothers for approval right?" Roxas asked her cheerfully, holding an imaginary list.

"Forget it." She walked off. He was doing this on purpose, making her life more stressful than ever. If he was going to stay for a while longer, she was going to make sure she was going to sit on the furthest, opposite, anywhere but near, him seat.

Even if he 'was' dubbed, "Guest of Honor."

**_Chapter One/End_**

* * *

**_A/N: This is the kind of story, where I take the time to write, read, reread, review, edit, repeat and finally upload it! But then there's that sinking feeling of wondering if the story was captivating at all...hahaha, but I'm happy to have written it._**

**_This plot has been on my mind ever since I've been reading the manga, "Me and My Brothers" by Hari Tokeino - I love it :) Part of the confession scene in this story is from her manga, volume 10... I think? I'm not sure, but her series inspired me to write this up, so it's somewhat based on her work. Namine is a lucky girl to have brothers that care about her :] (even if she likes to disagree...) Huh, imagine that! Going to a high school where there was a family who had a child in each high school grade - that'd be pretty cool. Oh, and having someone related to you that works at school - not a parent. :) I'm not quite sure why Cloud ended up being the sensei, but I believe it'll make sense in the future...I hope._**

**_I would appreciate reviews, suggestions, comments, random stories, jokes, criticisms (that would help me, not simply because you dislike it, then don't read it!), recommendations, smiles, hellos, etc. Anyone who reviews will be mentioned and thanked kindly in my next chapter. Thank you! :) Hope to see you again. Happy 2011! _**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Oh boy, took me longer than I thought to upload the second chapter, but at least it's here now!_**

_**Yes, for those who have asked or wondered, "Kimi ni Todoke," is the title I used from the original manga by Karuho Shiina. Originally, I was going to based my story off her manga, but then I came across, "Me and My Brothers," by Hari Tokeino and liked that idea better.**_

* * *

_**Kimi ni Todoke**_

_(From Me to You)_

* * *

**_Hollow Bastion Institution_**

_Sigh._ Namine rubbed her eyes gently as she concentrated on the sketchbook in front of her, pencil in hand to finish up another one of her creations. Thanks to their "guest of honor" (who decided to stay for a few more hours after dinner), she still needed to finish one of her projects before art class. No matter, it was homeroom now and she usually took the time to focus on art instead of chatting with other people around her anyways. Not that she didn't like talking, she just didn't have anyone to talk to…as a friend.

"Hey Nami!"

_Snap! _

She stared at the broken tip of her pencil, then back at the boy in front of her. Well... she did have Sora, but he didn't count as a friend. She frowned at him, "Don't call me that."

"Oh, lighten up!" He grinned, "You're always cooped up in your own little world. Think positive."

"I'm positively sure that I was pretty content a moment ago before a familiar, dense, brown-haired twin of mine interrupted my moment of peace," she held up the pencil in her hand, "and made me do this."

"Ahaha…" he gave her a nervous laugh. Namine eyed him while sharpening her pencil. Sharp enough to poke him. Yeah. That would teach him not to mess with her. "So what do you want?"

"Can't I talk to my own sister?"

"Not when we're at school." She frowned, "Consider it my "alone" time."

"Alright, I get it." Sora pretended to throw his arms up in the air to surrender, "Just thought I'd let you know that we have a new transfer student who started today."

Namine gave him an odd look, "I'm not the welcoming committee type if you're thinking of asking me."

"What if I told you this particular person happens to be someone we know?" He nudged her, "Does the name Kairi, ring a bell?"

Kairi. Oh course she knew her. Back when they all used to live in Destiny Islands. "That's wonderful news, Sora." She sighed tiredly, placing the rest of her colored pencils in her pencil bag.

Sora gazed at her with slight confusion, "You don't sound too excited, Namine."

"She's your best friend. How else am I supposed to react?"

He shook his head at his sister's attitude, "Geez, calm down. Just because Kairi and I are buddies, doesn't mean she can't be friends with you."

Namine stared at him, before standing up from her seat in frustration. "I don't need you to lecture me about making friends."

* * *

"This is why I hate being in the same class as Sora." Namine muttered to herself. Once again she was continuing her daily class duty routine: throwing out the trash." Always telling me to make friends. I'm not that "anti-social." In fact, she could talk to the next person that would come across her path. Anyone.

"Namine!"

She froze. That voice. She had forgotten all about him! So much for being social, he was going to be an exception for this one. _"Just ignore him…" _her mind advised her as she swiftly walked past the blond boy.

"Huh?" Roxas turned around, surprised she hadn't acknowledged him. "Namine?" He followed after her, "Nami?"

Namine glared at him, "Don't call me that." Sora must've told him about that nickname she solely despised.

He grinned, "Fine day outside, isn't it?"

She kept walking at her usual pace, pretending not to hear his voice. The sound of his footsteps continued after her. "What is it, Kozuka?"

"I figured we were on a first name basis," Roxas was catching up to her now, "and could you please stop walking away when I'm trying to talk to you?"

The blond girl paused, holding the trash bin ready for self defense, "Talk to me about what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Uh," he stood there dumbfounded, "I wanted to say hi?"

She blinked. "Great. Hello to you too." She quickly dumped the rest of the trash into the incinerator and headed towards the main building to get to back class.

Roxas sighed as he walked after her again, "You know that's not what I literally meant." She refused to respond back as he continued again, "We hardly have any classes together and I was attempting at making small talk. You know, to get to know you better. Besides your Sakashita name."

"Well you got your quota. You said something, I responded. There's your small talk."

He looked at her strangely. He couldn't tell if she was playing hard to get or being anti-social towards him, but he wasn't going to let her walk her way out of this one. He reached out for the sleeve of her school shirt and gently tugged her back, "Are you usually this difficult to talk to around your friends?"

First Sora, now him. Did everyone think she was some ice queen? Namine looked hurt by his question. Even Roxas began to notice, but before he could apologize, the school bell interrupted their awkward silence. "I'm going to be late for class." She muttered before running off in hopes this was going to be the last time she saw him today.

* * *

"Ugh…" Namine stared at her locker. It's amazing how completely filled it could be when just this morning, she had it all cleaned out. How was she supposed to head home with all this junk trapping her belongings in the back of her locker?

She pulled out another bag, this one which she used to dump all the lovesick gifts and letters from her brothers' admirers, leaving it somewhere in the hallway. This was not her responsibility. She left the bag aside and pulled out the textbooks she needed for homework.

"It's raining?"

Namine glanced up to the sound of a girl's voice beside her. School had just ended and students were either waiting out the rain or pulling out umbrellas to brave the weather. She blinked, realizing who this person was. The new transfer student, Kairi Miyashita - Sora's childhood friend.

She shut her locker, observing Kairi's expression. She remembered sharing several classes with her today, but it felt as if she had just seen her only now.

Kairi seemed to notice her gaze as she looked back, breaking into a cheerful grin. "Namine? It's been forever since I've seen you and your family!" She hugged her instantly, making the other students stare in wonder that Namine was being social with other girls.

"Uh…yeah, same." Namine replied awkwardly, patting Kairi's back softly in return. She wasn't used to hugs. "How was your first day here?" she asked politely, not wanting to seem "anti-social." Might as well make…what was that Roxas called? Oh, right. Small talk.

The red head simply smiled with a shrug, "Not too bad, just going through the new kid phase. I'm really happy that I'm in the same school as you guys, though. We can be together again just like old times."

Namine guessed that by "we" she meant her and Sora. "You seemed surprise that it's raining today. You might as well know that it's the rainy season at this time of year."

Kairi sighed softly, "Really? I guess that's the one thing I'll miss about Destiny Islands, it never rains this much."

The blond girl stared at her. She didn't know why, but she found her hand rummaging through her school bag for the spare umbrella she carried around in case one of her brothers forgot one. "Here," she held out the folded umbrella towards Kairi, "unlike the islands back at home, the rain in Hollow Bastion can go on for days without stopping. You can borrow this."

Kairi hesitated, "What about you?" Namine held up her personal one in her other hand as the girl smiled, "Thanks, Namine. Let's hang out next time."

"Huh?" Hang out was a concept she didn't know well. "Hang out?"

"Yep!" Kairi giggled, stepping out into the rain with Namine's spare umbrella, "I'll invite you over to my new house once we get our belongings from the islands. Thanks again!" She waved.

Something in Namine seemed to lift her mood as she gave a slight wave in return. Was it because she had just done a simple deed of kindness? Or maybe it was the fact she hadn't had a real conversation with a girl who wasn't one of the Sakashita brothers fanatic. Whatever it was…a small smile spread on her face as she pulled out her umbrella.

She was only a few feet away outside, when she watched something interesting before her. Roxas Kozuka, walking out soaked in the rain. She frowned. "That's strange." He could use his charms and she was sure any girl would love to share an umbrella with him. She stood watching him kindly turn down other girls' offers of their umbrellas as he continued walking on. That bothered her, seeing people like him walking out in the rain like it was nothing. So she ran after him.

Roxas was enjoying the raindrops dancing around him, of course getting his uniform drenched in the process of course. Being out in the rain felt nice, refreshing, and-

"I hope you have a death wish, walking in this weather." He heard an irritable voice interrupt his thoughts. Roxas blinked, stunned to see Namine with her umbrella hovering over them.

He chuckled, "Haven't you ever walked out in the rain before? It's relieving. You should try it."

"Of course not," she huffed stubbornly, "haven't you ever thought of catching Geostigma in this weather? If you're trying to get yourself sick-" She stopped mid sentence, seeing Roxas gazing at her with a content smile. "What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, "thanks for sharing…" He pointed above them to indicate what he was referring to.

Namine froze, "I wasn't sharing my umbrella with you. I'm just here to lecture you about your health. But here," she handed him her umbrella, "just use this. Sora has one I can share with."

"Hey wait-" he sighed in exhaustion that Namine had run away from him again. It was always this pattern. Each time they spoke, he would say something that would ruin the moment and she'd run off. "That girl…"

* * *

Namine meant to run back to school to meet up with one of her brothers, until she realized she was heading in the opposite direction. "Smart move…" she scolded herself. She didn't want to turn back. Roxas could still be there and he was the person she wanted to avoid. "Well, I guess it's my turn to walk in the rain…" she sighed softly.

_He chuckled, "Haven't you ever walked out in the rain before? It's relieving. You should try it."_

His words echoed in her mind with every step she took. She liked the sound of her shoes splashing in small puddles. Walking out in the rain without an umbrella wasn't as bad as Namine thought. She realized how much she enjoyed the pitter patter sounds of rain falling upon her, despite the fact her uniform had gotten soaked within seconds. She smiled, closing her eyes as raindrops pelted her. She probably looked crazy being out in this weather, but she didn't care. _Inhale, exhale._ This must be how Roxas felt earlier.

Strangely, she couldn't feel the rain falling on her anymore.

"Are you trying to get yourself sick?" a voice chuckled as she immediately opened her eyes in surprise.

Namine glanced up, realizing an umbrella hovered over herself and the older boy next to her. A smile grew on her face, "Leon!" Looks like one of her brothers found her already.

He chuckled, "No umbrella today?"

She laughed lightly, "I lent mine to someone else."

"Namine," he shook his head with a fond expression, "always putting your friends over your own needs."

Oh course Leon knew her well that she didn't have many close friends, but he was indicating that she put other people before herself. "I don't mind the weather." She replied.

"You will when you find yourself sick in bed tomorrow morning," he spoke sternly, referring to her already soaked state. Funny how she was the one giving someone else this lecture not too long ago. How the tables have turned. "Let's go home."

* * *

**_Infirmary_**

"Hmm…" Namine stared at Aerith the school nurse, "102 degrees, you have a fever." The older girl concluded as the blond girl laid back down on the infirmary bed in disappointment. How the tables of Fate indeed turned. Her older brother Leon was right, she did end up sick.

"Just rest up," Aerith gave her a kind smile, placing a gentle hand on the girl's forehead, "I'll inform your brothers of your whereabouts, no worries."

Namine closed her eyes, letting sleep overcome her. She didn't want the rest of her brothers to know she had gotten sick. Especially when it was Cloud who first noticed her condition this morning and had already asked her to stay home just to be safe.

"Calm down, Cloud, she's alright." she heard Aerith's voice reassure her supposed brother walking into the infirmary.

"It's my fault I let her come to school," Cloud muttered, footsteps getting closer to her bed as he kneeled down to check her temperature, "even worse, she has a fever."

"Nothing like a simple bed rest will do the trick." Aerith smiled, "That's the best we can do, just let her sleep. I promise you she will be fine by the end of the day."

Namine could hear her brother sigh, his hand still holding onto hers. "I trust you." He agreed, nodding to the older girl. "I'll be back to check in with her when I don't have a class to teach."

"Anytime." Aerith nodded, placing a small washcloth on the girl's forehead. "Feel better soon, Namine."

* * *

It was nearly lunch time by the time Namine had fully woken up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up as she stared at the ceiling and her surroundings before realizing she had slept in the infirmary for the past few hours.

"Heard you got sick." She almost jumped at the sound of another voice. "Sora, you scared me!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, "how are you feeling? Had us all worried there."

"Uh…" she had forgotten why she was here in the first place. She placed a hand on her forehead, "Fever's gone."

Sora smiled, "That's good. Kairi came to visit you too."

Namine tilted her head in confusion, "Kairi came to visit? For what?"

"Well first, she was looking for you so that she could return that umbrella she borrowed, but then she heard you got sick and worried how you must be feeling." He stared at her, "Plus, aren't you two friends?" The look on her face seemed uncertain about the word. "C'mon Namine, I know back when we were kids, she hung around me most of the time, I mean she was more of a tomboy years ago, but she's still a girl."

Namine gave him a look to continue on, "Your point?" She wanted to know what he meant when he mentioned "girl," hoping it wasn't some sexist comment.

"Well…" he paused, "She's grown up like the rest of us, her hair's grown longer. I know we'll always be buddies, but at this point, I know she wants friends who are girls too. She kinda reminds me of you. Both of you may be comfortable hanging around guys all the time, but I'm sure you've always wanted that sisterly friend too." He grinned, "You know, those girly sleepovers, gossip, shopping, whatever it is. Give each other a chance to get to know each other."

Namine looked at him. A part of her wanted to disagree that she didn't need to branch out, but the other half of herself knew Sora was right. "Yeah…" she admitted. Kairi had been the first girl who hadn't tried to talk to her in order to get close to one of her brothers. She was genuinely…being herself…

"Think about it." Sora waved before disappearing into the hallway when the first bell rang for his next class. She didn't need to think about it, she already knew.

"Nurse Aerith?" she recognized that voice and quickly threw the bed covers over her to hide. _"What is Roxas doing here?" _she worried hoping he didn't find out she had gotten sick from yesterday. She froze, realizing the whiteboard on the door still had her name on it. That was sign-in board Aerith used in order to see who was in her infirmary and right now her name was the only one.

Roxas glanced around, seeing no one as he walked in. He needed the nurse to check his arm after injuring it from blitzball during P.E. class. Maybe if he just signed in on the board and waited, she'd show up right away. He took the marker that hung beside the whiteboard, just about to sign his name when he noticed the name above his. "Namine?" He seemed surprised.

"_He found out…"_ Namine closed her eyes, praying for the nurse to quickly appear so he wouldn't come find her. Unfortunately, the sound of his footsteps seemed to be heading towards her bed. She could hear him say her name softly, assuming she was still asleep.

"Hmm…" Roxas didn't want to wake her up, but if she was really sick, she would still be in deep slumber and not notice his presence. Or…she could be hiding from him, he smirked. She had that tendency of running away, it would be no surprise if she feigned sleep right now. He tugged on the sheet covers.

"_He knows I'm here…" _Namine panicked as she closed her eyes again. _"I'm doomed…"_

**_Chapter Two/End_**

* * *

**_A/N: I appreciate those who have reviewed, especially those who have expressed how much they like the story! Alright, I'm glad the first chapter was indeed captivating, I know this chapter isn't as wonderful as the previous. Ah the pressure of keeping up a good story! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone with Chapter Two. I'm trying to make most of the scenarios a bit different from the ones everyone's used to reading. Rest assured, the adventures we'll read later on will be better.. TT-TT;;;_**

**_Oh and I wanted to make the stereotypical "Namine and Kairi are already friends" a little different. Thought it'd be interesting if Kairi and Sora were the ones who were best buds first. I'm used to reading stories about these two girls becoming fast friends or already friends. Plus, high school is when you get to know people you never expect to become such good friends with. Well if that doesn't make sense, hopefully it will sometime later in the story, otherwise, I fail as a writer. :/ Please let me know on your thoughts about that._**

**_Hooray for Leon Sakashita's grand entrance! I felt bad that he didn't get to appear in the first chappie, so I gave him the spotlight for this one. :)_**

**_I happily grant appreciation to my Chapter One reviewers: _**

**_Karin Ochibi-chan:_**_The first reviewers are always the best :) "Slice of Life"? I've never had a reviewer tell me that before, but I like it. I agree, I've read stories that had a ton of drama D; haha, I'm glad my story wasn't super suffocating - yes it makes sense. Thanks for being the first to inspire me to continue the next chappie :D **VioletX10:** Thanks! Yep I agree, not too many stories have her growing up with that many brothers. Cloud is one of my faves :D He would make an awesome brother. I can never write up a good story without humor :) Thanks for being friendly, Hi to you too! (Sorry I couldn't update sooner) **raniza:** Haha yep! It's easier for me to base the last names from a story I've already read instead of making ones up or picking the most overused ones - ex: Hikari, etc. :) Thanks I'm glad you love it already **Handwritten:** Hahaha, yeah it's definitely a new kind of story for me too, especially with the five brothers idea - it's not only a twist, it's a challenge for me to write up (AH! PEER PRESSURE!) Oh yes, when you think about it, that's probably not safe for the mother being pregnant all the time :0 Gasp...poor mommy. Thanks for the review! **Kenny IV - The Epic Ninja:** Thanks buddy! :) Ha, I love your pen name, Epic and Ninja put together just made my day! **Wings of Fidelity: **Wow, you simply know how to make an author feel special :) I don't know how to reply to that epic review. Thanks for making me feel awesome and this story of course! **Kairi Granger: **Yes! Go Roxas! We'll have to wish him luck when it comes to Namine :] **SaphireWaves:** Thank you, I agree, I can't wait to see what happens next. (Wait a minute, I'm the author...haha) **Chesches2001: **I'm glad you love it! Sorry my update ended up being nearly 6 months, hopefully I can make it up to you guys next time :D **darkteaparty:** Thanks, I'm no good with writing up drama like the other fanfic authors out there, but I'm glad I can still grab people with my sense of humor :) **makiru:** Hahaha, yeah, those are funny to read. It's what makes them interesting. Hopefully Namine won't be ignorant for too long :] **Maisuki-chan:** Haha oh poor Namine, I always feel bad for those characters whenever plans backfire. I know that feeling so well... I'm glad my story was captivating, thank you very much! :D **AnnoCat:** yep yep, you got it, that's where the title of my story came from. I absolutely love the series. I love the ending, it was such a fun read. :) **XShiori-chanX: **Hey, glad to see if made your day good! Makes me happy :) Ah, hopefully this chapter hasn't disappointed you. I tried to make it a little interesting and different from the usual NaminexRoxas fics out there. Yes, indeed, there will be other pairings. You've got a pretty good idea of who they are, but you'll officially find out soon enough later on :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Chapter 3 finally updated! :) **_

_**Just a quick note that I made Denzel and Marlene older in this story, so they're in high school as well. Other than that, enjoy!**_

* * *

_**Kimi ni Todoke**_

_(From Me to You)_

"Roxas? Is there something I can help you with?" Aerith had just come back from her errand, slightly confused to see Roxas standing next to one of the beds.

"_Thank goodness, she made it back in time." _Namine silently thought in relief. From beneath the sheets, she could see Roxas's shadow getting smaller, indicating that he was no longer by her bedside.

"I was hoping you could check my arm, I might've sprained it during blitzball."

"Sure. Let me just," Aerith paused as she glanced over to Namine's bed. The swooshing sounds of curtains could be heard before she started again, "I don't want to disturb our lovely guest here."

"_Ah, I'd forgotten about that…" _Namine realized what those sounds were. The infirmary didn't have individual rooms for patients like the hospital. At school, it was one giant room with shower curtain like walls to indicate someone was using the bed. _"Now's my chance."_ She quickly threw the covers off her, knowing that Aerith and Roxas were talking by the door. Lucky for her, her bed was next to the window. She carefully slid the window open enough to make her escape. Hey, no worries, the infirmary happened to be on the first floor of the building.

"Namine? Are you feeling better?" Aerith peeked behind the curtains, surprised to see she was missing from her bed. "Oh…she already left?"

Namine fell to the ground with a quiet thud. Never had she ever tried to run away like this before. Now what? She couldn't just waltz back into the school building. At least not without a teacher questioning her whereabouts.

"You look like you just escaped from prison."

The blond girl glanced over to the left of her. An unfamiliar looking girl with dark, short hair, casually sitting against the wall, staring back at her, sketchbook in hand. "You draw?" Was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.

The dark haired girl chuckled, "A little thing called art class." She pointed to the other students sitting around, amidst in their own world. "What about you? Don't tell me you're skipping school."

"More like temporarily taking a break from school." Namine admitted as the girl motioned her to come closer.

"Interesting." She nodded. She held her hand out to the blond, "Name's Xion."

"I'm Namine." She returned the gesture, shaking her hand. "Um…I'm guessing you're in a different grade. I'm taking art, but there's only one art class for freshmen."

"You're pretty smart," Xion grinned, "I'm a sophomore here, but it's always nice to meet kids in different grades."

"Sophomore?" Namine repeated. That meant, "You're in Riku's class."

The happy expression that was once on Xion's face disappeared, "Please don't tell me you're one of his fan girls or someone who secretly adores him from afar."

So there "are" girls who can resist Riku's charms. "No way," Namine laughed, "I'm nowhere near any of those."

"Exactly! I'm glad someone understands me, all the girls in my class think I've gone crazy for not following the Almighty Perfect Prince Riku." Xion rolled her eyes at Riku's title. "There's nothing perfect about that guy."

Hearing that from Xion made her laugh softly. She had never heard anyone talk about her older brother like this. "Oh, you have no idea."

The older girl smiled. "I think we're going to be good friends." She paused. "No, we 'are' going to be good friends." The blond girl gave her a small smile as she watched her put her art supplies away. "Well, fifth period is almost over. I'll see you around." She waved.

"Yeah…" Namine stood up slowly, unsure if she should go back to class. First off, she did leave the infirmary without a word. So now what…

"The air outside is refreshing."

She nearly jumped at the sound of another voice, before realizing she was still next to the window. The window she had escaped from and the one Roxas was currently standing next to, but still inside the infirmary. She frowned at him.

Roxas' cheerful smile had no effect on her. "What brings you out here? If I remember, we're still in school." Namine simply ignored him, crossing her arms as she glanced away. "I heard you were sick," he added, his voice sounded calmer, "are you feeling better?"

"I was…" Namine murmured. _"Before you showed up."_ Of course, she wasn't that cruel to say the last part aloud.

It fell silent between them as the school bell rang. It wasn't an awkward silence, just…the kind of silence that-

"Let's go." Roxas climbed out the window, taking Namine by the hand.

"W-What?" Namine was startled by this. "Wait, I-"

"I know the best medicine," he smiled, "just trust me."

* * *

_**On the Train...**_

"_How did it end up like this." _Namine kept asking herself. She walked in the rain. She got sick. Went to school and ended up staying in the infirmary. Then tried to escape. Then ended up here? She glanced over at the boy next to her. With Roxas of all people? She frowned. So far it was his fault.

"Here we are." Roxas gently tugged her hand, making her follow after him.

They stepped off the train, arriving at a new station. She blinked. This place seemed brighter than others she'd been to. "Where are we?" She looked around.

Roxas didn't answer her. They continued walking in silence until they stopped near a small fence lining where she realized they were standing on top of a hill. "Look over there." He pointed towards the sun as she turned her head slowly.

The sky was gleaming in light and from the looks of it, they made it in time to see a sunset. She had to admit, as a small smile formed on her face. This was pretty cool. So this was the medicine he meant. She would need to remember her sketchbook next time. Then something else came to mind. "You took me all the way out here just to see a sunset?" She gave him an odd look.

Her response made Roxas chuckle as he glanced back at her. "Hey, it's not your everyday sunset. This place is called Sunset Hill. I visit this place all the time."

Namine sighed, "Please don't tell me this is one of your infamous dating spots."

"Nah," he grinned, "just a place to take pictures." It was quiet between them as they both watched the view again. He didn't look at her as he said this softly, "You're the first girl I've brought over here."

And there goes the moment. Namine wanted to smack herself in the face, hearing those words. This had better not been his intention for bringing her out like this. "So…you like photography…" She began, subtly changing the topic.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded, "There's this book I saw at the bookstore that got me into it. When I find it, I'll be sure to lend it to you. The pictures are awesome."

She looked at him. "That'd…be nice." The all knowing smile on his face made her confused. Was he trying to make fun of her? She shook her head. Even if he was, she had lovely older brothers to take care of that. "I-" the cellphone in her skirt pocket interrupted as she quickly glanced at the screen. 7 missed calls. 1 voicemail.

It was obvious those missed calls came from her brothers. As she looked at the time, it made sense why they were calling her. It had been a half hour since school ended. She pressed the voicemail button on her phone.

"Namine," she recognized Tidus' voice, "you're just as bad as Cloud. There's a reason why we have cell phones. So that WE CAN TALK TO EACH OTHER NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE! Call me back! Or Sora. At least one of us. Then call me back too."

She heard the click sound which indicated he hung up. "I need to go home. They don't know I'm out here. Let alone," she glared at him, "skipped school." He was about to say something, but she continued on, "I can go back on my own."

"Namine!" He spoke as she began to run off.

She stopped for a moment. It wasn't much, but he did make the effort to try and make her day a little better. She shook her head. He practically kidnapped her. Yet, he tried to make her happy. So was she supposed to say, thank you? She wasn't good at these kinds of things and before she could turn around to face him, she hurried off again to the train station.

* * *

_**On the** **Train...**_

"Yeah, I'm getting off at the next stop." Namine said softly on her cell phone. She was talking to Sora. "Sorry I made you guys worry."

"I wasn't worried." She could hear her brother's voice on the other line. "Everyone else was though."

"Gee, thanks Sora." Namine muttered.

"I meant it in a good way!" Her brother immediately added. "I know you can take care of yourself out there."

An instant flash of light appeared out of nowhere, surprising the girl. She gazed out the window, seeing the gray skies become more restless and cloudy. "Namine?" Sora's voice brought her back from her daze.

"Yeah, sorry. It looks like it's about to rain." Namine replied.

"Well hurry back, we're all waiting for you."

"Hmm." She nodded in agreement. "I'll call you when I get back to school. I'm at my stop." She slid the phone back in her pocket. She didn't mind walking back to school, but she did leave her schoolbag in her locker and that had her umbrella inside. Namine sighed.

* * *

The familiar pitter patter sounds fell around her and soon, she found herself soaked outside from the rain. She could only imagine what everyone else must be thinking seeing her like this. She continued walking down the sidewalk, passing by small shops along the way.

She heard a door open before her as the person stopped to keep her from walking on, "I can't have you walking out in the rain like this."

Namine looked up. He was tall and he had dark brown hair, but she didn't recognize the figure standing in front of her. "Huh?"

"Here, wait." He stepped back inside and came back with an umbrella in hand. "Take this, you can return it to me next time."

"Uh…" Namine reached out hesitantly. "Thanks."

He smiled, "No problem." With that, he went back inside, letting the door close behind him quietly.

She glanced up at the sign. "Seventh Heaven Coffee Shop." She read. Weird. She had always passed by this area, but she never knew there was a coffee shop here. She was still standing outside next to the window, watching him serve the customers from the counter with a content expression on his face. "He really likes his job…" A smile appeared on her face. He glanced up in time to notice her gaze and gave her a small wave.

Namine froze. She could feel her cheeks getting warm. Was she blushing? She quickly walked off in slight embarrassment. She didn't mean to stare at him like that. Geez.

"Namine!" A car stopped beside her. She gave the driver a nervous glance, before realizing it was Cloud. She opened the passenger door and slid inside as he handed her a towel. "It started raining and I thought I could pick you up from the station."

"Thanks." she muttered, still clutching the umbrella in her hand.

He gave her a concerned look, seeing the item she was holding. "You had an umbrella and decided not to use it?"

"Actually, someone was nice enough to lend me one as I was walking outside." Namine glanced out her window as they rode past the shop. "Come to think of it. I…never got his name…"

* * *

_**Hollow Bastion Institute: Next Morning**_

"Ah…" Namine froze next to her locker as the boy walked up to the locker beside hers. "You're…" She stopped. Was she imagining or was he same guy from-

"The girl from yesterday…" He spoke as he opened his locker. He gave her a warm smile, "Who would've thought we'd end up meeting at school?"

"Is…" she tried to recall, "is that why you gave me that umbrella yesterday? Because you saw my uniform?"

He shrugged. "I would've lent you one even if you went to another school. I wouldn't let a pretty girl like yourself catch geostigma."

"Uh…" Namine was speechless. Usually she was resistant to words like that, but it was different coming from someone who wasn't being flirty. "T-thanks." She opened her locker, forgetting about the gifts and letters stuffed inside.

"Seems like you're popular around here…Namine." He murmured, seeing the items falling out of her locker.

"Oh no, it's not-"

"Well, I've got class," he smiled, "come by the shop afterschool."

She watched him walk off much to her disappointment. Great. She glared at the letters sprawled on the floor. Stupid admirers that weren't even for her.

"I see you're making new friends around here." Roxas shut his locker quietly. Namine blinked. Was his locker really that close to hers? "That's Denzel by the way." He continued, "It didn't look like you knew his name. He's a sophomore here."

There was a faint blush on Namine's face as she frowned at him. Roxas had been standing there the whole time. "Why are you telling me this?"

He ignored her question and walked past her, "You guys look good together. Good luck."

She glanced back at him, confused. _"Weird. What did I do to-" _Then she remembered yesterday. _"I wonder if he's mad at me…for running off like that."_

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Namine looked up from her desk, surprised to see Kairi standing in front of her. "I didn't see you go home yesterday."

"_That's right…" _Namine remembered that discussion she had with Sora about Kairi wanting to be friends. "Y-Yeah...I'm fine now. I heard from my brother that you came to visit me."

"He told you?" Kairi's face began to blush, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but you were asleep when I came."

"It's okay." Namine replied. She set her notebooks in her bag as they began to head to their next classes, "It was nice knowing you tried to visit…" she paused, "Besides…what're friends for?"

Kairi stopped as she glanced back at Namine. Suddenly, she hugged the blond girl, "I'm glad."

The blond girl awkwardly hugged her back. She wasn't used to hugs, but at least, she was starting to smile and open up to people again.

"By the way, did you say something to Roxas?" Kairi asked as they walked out of the classroom. The blond girl gave her a questioning look as Kairi pointed at Roxas who was talking with a brunette girl, "Word went around fast that he's dating Selphie."

"_So that's how it is." _Namine thought, _"He didn't seem like the patient type when it came to girls." _Did that mean he was going to ignore her now that he has a girlfriend? Hmm. It would make sense.

As if he were reading her mind, Roxas turned his head, grinning at Namine as he called her out, "Hey, Namine!"

"Eh?" Namine was just as surprised as Kairi to see Roxas and Selphie walking over to them. "_Wasn't he acting differently this morning? It's like he pretended nothing happened."_

"I got this for you," Roxas handed a book to her, "I found it at the library. If you want, you can just return it there when you're done."

Namine slowly took the book from him, gazing at the cover, "Sunset Hill's Finest Wonders." It was a photography book all about the place they went to yesterday. This brought a small smile to her face. She was excited to look at the pictures. Maybe it could help inspire her for a new drawing. "Thanks."

"No prob. See you around." Since his back was turned, the two girls couldn't help but notice the glare Selphie seemed to be giving them. Then she focused her attention back to Roxas with a happy smile.

Namine blinked, "Kairi. Just now, was she glaring at me?"

"Yep." Kairi nodded, "She was glaring at you."

Confusion filled her face, "Why? He just loaned me a book."

Kairi sighed as she folded her arms in disappointment that her friend hadn't caught on. "Well wouldn't you hate it if your man was paying attention to some other girl?"

"But," Namine paused, remembering something else she heard about Selphie, "isn't she still dating Seifer?"

"Of course she is," Kairi shrugged, "but Roxas doesn't seem to care."

The thought of it made Namine frown as she held the book tightly in her hands, "Doesn't care, huh?"

* * *

Namine placed the book Roxas loaned to her in her locker as her hand grazed over several textbooks, "Next is history…" she murmured.

"You got that right."

_**BAM!**_

She nearly jumped at the sound beside her, even more surprised it was Selphie who caused it. She must've thought it was funny to bang her hand against the locker to intimidate her. "Don't get comfortable with other people's boyfriends, okay?"

The blond girl stared at her, "I was only borrowing a book and," she gave her a suspicious glance, "you already have a boyfriend. It's Seifer."

"What I do is none of your business," Selphie had her hands on her hips. She gave her a stern glance, "I'm not going to let you ruin this relationship. Same with Marlene's. Can't you see she's in love? Have a heart for once."

Namine wanted to laugh. Did every girl really think Namine was the kind to ruin relationships? And who is Marlene? In fact she was the one who told Roxas to get a girlfriend from the beginning. "You can't be serious."

Selphie glanced at the book in her locker, "Take that book out. I'll go ahead and return it."

"_She's serious about this." _Namine couldn't believe this girl would really think she'd obey her like some kind of queen. She gave her a cold stare, slamming her locker as she spoke, "No."

* * *

Kairi gasped, "What did Selphie say to that?" Namine was filling her in on the locker incident. Thank goodness she had at least three classes with her, this one being home economics.

The blond girl continued to crochet, "Nothing. She gave me a look that could kill and stormed off."

Kairi stared at her before breaking into a laugh, "That's hilarious."

"It's not funny," Namine argued, much to her dismay that the redhead was still giggling over her story, "She was mad."

"I'm sorry," Kairi covered her mouth, trying hard to hide her giggles, "but that's exactly why it makes it so funny. I wish I could've seen the look on Selphie's face when that happened."

"I'm glad to see you're so amused by this," Namine muttered, "she sits behind me in biology class too. It doesn't make me feel better knowing someone's glaring at me from behind."

"Alright, alright. I'm done laughing." Her friend smiled apologetically, "So what was the book he handed you? I didn't get to see it properly."

"I can show you, I went back to my locker and put it in my bag for safekeeping," Namine stood from her seat, reaching over for her bag sitting on her desk. She opened the flap of her messenger bag and looked confused, "I might've placed it somewhere around here," she started taking her other school books out, her pencil bag and such, before realizing, "It's gone."

"Gone?" Kairi repeated.

"The book Roxas lent to me, I know I had it in my bag-" Namine stopped, remembering what she said earlier. "Selphie." She spoke. "She must've taken it while we were working in separate groups for our projects."

* * *

"Roxas!" Selphie waved excitedly to the blond boy. He grinned at her as she hugged his arm possessively. "Oh, here." She pulled a book out from her schoolbag and held it out to him. "This is yours."

Roxas frowned, seeing the book in her hands, "Huh? This is…"

"I got it from a certain Sakashita, you know? Namine?" Selphie shrugged, "She said it was fine and gave it back to me." She gave him a pity glance, "In fact…it didn't look like she wanted to read it."

He hesitantly took the book back, thinking back on how Namine must've looked when he gave it to her earlier. She had wanted to read it. He knew it. It didn't make sense.

"Hey," Roxas looked at Selphie again, as she held his hand, "don't go lending any more stuff to other girls, okay?"

He gave her an odd stare and suddenly, the smile that was on Selphie's face fell as he instantly let go of her hand.

* * *

_**Afterschool**_

"Namine, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" She glanced up, seeing Riku and Tidus sending her worried glances. Namine preferred to walk home. Seeing that Cloud had papers to grade and the other two had club activities, Riku and Tidus were in charge of looking after her, much to her dismay. She wanted to argue that she could walk home by herself, but after the two rain incidences, it was a losing argument for her. "I'm fine…it's" she trailed off as they approached a familiar coffee shop.

She stopped in front of the window, looking for him. Her heart began to skip a beat. There he was, handing two cups of coffee to a couple sitting inside.

"Did you want to go in?" She felt a hand on her shoulder. Tidus must've thought she wanted to take a break. "We could hang out for a bit if you want."

"No, it's okay," she shook her head, "I just had something that I borrowed from him," she reached into her bag to reveal a dark blue umbrella, "I never got to return it."

Denzel glanced up and smiled seeing her and her brothers standing outside. He lifted his hand and waved, motioning for them to walk in.

"It looks like he wants to see you too," Riku smirked, glancing at Tidus who seemed to agree as he nodded, pushing Namine towards the door, "we'll see you at home, Namine."

"Have fun." Tidus winked making the girl blush. They thought she had a date.

She sighed softly knowing she wasn't going to hear the end of this when she got back. "Denzel," she smiled the moment the door opened as she walked in, "I came here to-"

"Wait, stay for a bit." Denzel ushered her to a nearby table. She sat down, feeling nervous again as he sat down across from her. She noticed a cup on the table and looked up at him. "It's hot chocolate," he laughed lightly seeing her confused expression, "I wanted you to try it. I made it myself."

She lifted the cup to her lips and after a moment, she began to smile. She loved hot chocolate and this one tasted much different from the regular instant packets. "It's delicious."

He chuckled, "It's a family recipe. I was hoping that you'd like it. I'm planning on adding this to the menu soon."

"Yeah, it's really good." She admitted.

"Thanks," He smiled, "Namine."

The way he said her name and the fact that he could say it with a genuine smile was enough to make her blush. "Y-Yeah…" she stuttered, feeling her heart racing faster than usual. She wanted to scold herself for being nervous again.

"Denzel, could you help me over here?" They both glanced over to the girl standing at the cashier. He stood up from his seat and waved to show he heard her. He glanced at Namine, "I'll be back. Marlene needs my help."

She nodded as she watched him walk over to the girl. _"Marlene?"_ She wondered if she maybe went to the same school as well. It sounded familiar. Marlene's hand touched Denzel's shoulder and Namine noticed a slight hint of blush on his face. The girl giggled as he leaned closer to her to whisper something, making them both smile.

The smile that was on Namine's face was now gone. Then the name hit her. It was the same name Selphie said. She gazed at the two. _"Was this what she meant about Marlene? She thought I was stealing Denzel?"_ Something inside her felt disappointed as she realized the person Denzel was interested in was the girl he was with right now. Marlene. She didn't realize they were together. A sad sigh escaped her lips as she glanced away.

"Huh?" Denzel turned around at the sound of the shop door opening and closing. "Namine?" He realized when she was nowhere in sight. He glanced at Marlene who was busy getting orders and walked over to the table where the blond girl sat earlier. "Did she leave?" He asked himself when he noticed the umbrella, an empty cup and a note placed before him. He picked up the note, "Thank you, Denzel." It was all that was written there.

He quickly went over to the door, hoping to still find her walking outside, but as he opened the door and looked around, she was gone. He sighed before going back inside as Namine stepped back onto the sidewalk from around the corner. She gave the shop a sad smile before walking away, "Well, that love was short lived."

* * *

_**Hollow Bastion Institute: The Next Day**_

"I have to get that book back," Namine muttered to herself as school ended. Today was a terrible day. She spent most of her time avoiding Denzel, Selphie, everyone. In fact, she hardly ran into Roxas. That was a surprise…kind of. She didn't think she'd be able to find him anyways, seeing as he now had a girlfriend. She stopped in her footsteps. _"Wait…why does it even matter anymore?"_

She began to walk at a slower pace. It didn't matter as long as the book got returned to the library. She could always go find it again. On her own. She had to at least let him know she didn't have the book anymore.

"Hey," she heard Sora's voice. He stood in front of her and examined her face, "you okay? You were pretty quiet yesterday." He paused, "I know the answer, you don't need to lie."

"Then maybe you can figure it out on your own." She tried to walk past him, but he tugged her arm to keep her from doing so.

"Namine." He spoke firmly, "It doesn't help if you're avoiding people." She didn't answer him. "Look, we're all worried about you. At first, you were happy and now it's like you're-"

"Back to being the anti-social freak?" She said bitterly, "I know, okay?" Her voice faltered. "I know…" She expected him to leave her alone after that.

It was quiet between them as Sora handed her a tissue from his pocket. "You're starting to cry," he mumbled as she took it from him and quickly wiped her eyes, "you rarely cry, Namine."

She sighed. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

It went quiet between them. That is, until Sora asked, "Do you want to cry on my shoulder?"

She gave him the strangest glance as he pointed, "You know, I've got pretty strong, broad shoulders," he joked, "I wouldn't pass off this opportunity."

At first, she could only give him a blank look, but then Namine couldn't resist smiling as he grinned. "Compared to Tidus? I don't think so."

"Oh just you wait, it runs in the Sakashita family," Sora boasted as he looked at her, "well, at least for the guys."

She playfully punched his arm, "Don't be a jerk, Sora." They both stared at each other and began to laugh. She hadn't laughed like this in a while. She paused, realizing this. It was nice. When she turned to Sora, he seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she smiled, "Thanks, Sora."

"Ah, what're twins for?" He grinned, "You know, the offer still stands."

She shook her head. "Okay, we're done, Sora."

* * *

_**Afterschool**_

Hmm. Namine closed her locker after emptying it out from this morning. It was amazing how filled it could get even after cleaning it out. She glanced at the locker next to hers. _"Denzel."_ She could guess that he was aware she was avoiding him. He didn't deserve to be ignored like that.

"_Maybe I should come by the shop and visit him."_ She wondered as she stepped out of the school building, debating on whether or not to go straight home. _"Then again, if Marlene is there, that might give off the wrong impression-"_

A light tap on the head took her out of her trance as a familiar book waved in front of her face. She looked over to see Roxas standing behind her with an all knowing smile, "Roxas?" She paused after saying his name. It seemed foreign to her. Usually it was a glare or calling him Kozuka. "Why are you-"

"I broke up with Selphie." He interrupted, waiting for her to take the book from him.

She reached for it and held it softly in her hands. She was too stunned to say anything.

Roxas spoke again, "It's not like I'll go out with just any girl." He leaned closer to her, "I wouldn't dream of going out with someone who is going to ruin my friendships."

"_Friendship?" _Namine repeated in her head as she stared at him in confusion. But before she could say anything to add to that, they noticed a crowd gathering around the school gates. She gazed over, "What's going on?"

They both walked over towards the crowd, passing by people curiously standing by as they wondered themselves what was happening.

"Is he a new student here?" Namine heard her classmates ask. Other girls were squealing about the stranger and how it looked as if he-

"Man, he's got his music on full blast…" Roxas muttered as they noticed the person everyone was so curious about was a boy their age, casually leaning against the wall of the school gate. Girls kept whispering and exchanging looks at the new cutie.

Namine froze. She didn't need to walk any closer to recognize who this was. Orange, spiky hair with his signature headphones placed on his head. His eyes were closed, as if he were trying to tune everyone out with whatever music he was listening to. Her heart began beating fast as she frowned. "It can't be…" she could feel herself shaking nervously with each step. "N-Neku?"

Her classmates gasped, stunned to see that someone from their school personally knew this boy. He glanced up. His gaze caught with hers as he slowly pulled his headphones down so that they were resting around his neck. He turned the volume of his music down. He held a blank expression, but it was clear he was looking for her as he spoke calmly, "Namine."

_**Chapter Three / End**_

* * *

_**A/N: I know it's been awhile since I've updated. I apologize for the wait and I hope the story was still interesting. Why am I saying this again? I've noticed this chapter is a little different from the past 2. There's a lot going on and I'm hoping it wasn't too busy or complex to understand. **_

_**I've made Namine a little more social than she normally is. We're already seeing that she's becoming good friends with Kairi. That's good :] Plus, I know it was probably a little weird to see her liking someone all of a sudden. She didn't seem to be the type to fall for guys easily, but just know Denzel is a gentleman and that's different from someone who's a total player. *cough* Roxas - who had a short lived relationship with Selphie there... Poor Namine, but at least with Denzel it was only a crush. I know who you guys want her to be with. :]**_

_**Oh and Xion made her entrance! Yay. :) We'll be seeing her in the later chappies. I'm also disappointed in myself. Leon is not included in this chapter :( but he will in the next! Be looking forward to that.**_

**_Who is Neku? That's a good question. No, he is not a made up character. I don't usually throw OC's in my stories. Neku Sakuraba is originally from the game, "The World Ends With You" and he's also in, "Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance" :] For anyone else who knows him, I applaud you. I bet you guys are wondering what will happen next, especially now that I've left this scenario with Namine at a cliffhanger..._**

**_Chappie 2 Reviewers I would like to epicly awesomesauce appreciately thank:_**_** Namine-Kairi0123: **Thank you! Character development is tricky. It's the whole reason why I never update right away, because I keep rewriting everything. Hopefully this chapter was just as good, now that Namine is starting to reach out to other people. :) **Karin Ochibi-chan:** Thanks! I think this is the first story I've written that tries to include most of the characters and not just the major ones. Besides, it's a lot of fun writing scenarios between Namine and her brothers than to write a whole chapter of just Namine and Roxas, right? :] **Pokkin-Choco:** Aw, you're so sweet! Thanks for always reviewing my stories. Yeah, I've noticed that too, I'm glad people like that. :] **Automatic Code Red 123: **Haha I'm the exact same, maybe that's why I keep writing rain scenes. We never see those around here. Yep, we'll see more Sakashitas! **First Day High:** Oh geez haha :D if ONLY there were boys like them in real life! Sorry it wasn't a quick update. I hope this longer chapter made it worth the wait! **Gogglelicious: **Haha! I liked your DMG greeting. ^^ Oh I just like writing cliffhangers like that...it gives people something to look forward to. **Handwritten: **Ah, yeah I feel bad when I update after months because people need to go back and read everything again. Sigh. Yeah, if I remember the games Leon was in, he was a more reserved character. You're right, he's indeed more quiet. :) I agree, I feel sometimes most stories have the same personality for one character because it seems to be the most popular. Kairi is a little different in this new chapter so hopefully that wasn't a disappointment. Ah, and you know what kind of rain I love. Autumn rain 3 _**_xShiori-Chanx:_**_ Hahaha, I do that too, being too lazy to login. Yeah when I think about it, Riku is a fish out of water. He's the only one with a different hair color. Oh, and no worries, we will find out more about Namine's parents. Actually...we'll find out in the next chapter! It ties in with Neku's arrival. :) Thanks again for reviewing, I'm glad it wasn't a disappointment!_ _**Roxas-XIII:** Thanks! I'm glad you like...no wait, LOVE it! :D I'm soooo sorry I didn't update right away. I hope this chapter was a worthwhile read. **WhiteXIII:** Thank you, :] whenever I spend hours writing something, I end up doubting my work. I'm glad the character interactions impressed people, this is the only story I got comments about that. **Dreamer-Tsuki:** Ah, I'm terrible, I didn't update as soon as everyone wanted me to, but I'm glad you love the story :D I hope this was a good chapter to read. **Lorrey: **Yeah! Final Fantasy rocks! Thank goodness Kingdom Hearts includes them :] Aw, but I feel so bad that Leon wasn't in this chapter. D: But he will be in the next one, for sure! I love walking in the rain! Yeah, Roxas is too cool for umbrellas. **Blood:** Hahaha, if anything, I'm sure Cloud would be the only brother that would oppose any guy going after Namine. :) Hey, I like formal reviews! Haha, that's how I usually write. **O Spastic One:** You know, I really like your username :] It's epic. I hate to disappoint that I didn't update right away. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. I hope this chapter still made the story adorable! :D Thanks for your review. **Ailuji: **Thanks! It's hard to think of an original storyline nowadays. Especially when I'm trying to write up stuff people won't think are cliche. Eek, peer pressure... Well we did see Xion! Guess we'll find out if the other Org. XIII characters will appear. :) **li'miss sunshine:** I wanted to let you know that after you reviewed, you inspired me to update right away. I'm not quite sure how, maybe because you took the time to review my stories that it just made me go, "Wow, I haven't written anything in the longest time." Thank you for being awesome :) **Ramen and Chopsticks: **Thanks dude! :D Hahaha, I'll be waiting, and thanks for the food XD_


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